Letters, and Scorpius Hates Nicknames (Scorpius/Albus Severus, G) Title: Letters, and Scorpius Hates Nicknames Artist: faerie_lullaby Prompt: (#, prompt text - if a photo prompt, please provide a link) #206, What if Al was sorted into Slytherin? How do his Gryffindor relatives treat him? Pairing: (or characters) Scorpius Malfoy, Albus Severus Potter Rating: G Word Count: 982 Summary: Al's worried, but Scorpius is confident. Warnings: (if any) None Author's Note: (optional) Written for Phoenix_Flies Round Two. Thanks so much to my beta! This is also like a second part to my first entry.
Dad,
You told me that I could choose the house I wanted and I decided to follow my friend and asked the Hat to put me in Slytherin. I wanted to tell you before James did, 'cause he's not very happy about it. D'you think you could talk to him about it? And break the news to Mum gently.
Al
He watched as the golden-eyed owl flew way from the Owlery, before turning to head down to breakfast. It was the first day of classes, and while he was loathe to admit it, he was nervous. He adjusted his new robes and took the stairs at a gallop.
The doors to the Great Hall were open, and a few stragglers were trickling in, Al included. His eyes flitted over the tables, landing on his family at the Gryffindor table. He sighed and turned to his own table, where Scorpius had saved him the seat next to him. He sank onto the bench, reached for the plate of breakfast potatoes, and piled a few onto his own plate before turning to Scorpius.
"Morning, Score."
"I told you not to call me that. My name is Scorpius. Now, did you send your letter?"
Al grinned at the casual way his friend switched topics before answering his question. "Yeah, I sent it off with Eros. I hope it gets there before James has a chance to send something. It should, unless he did it last night, while I was in bed. What if Dad is sending some-"
"Stop that. I told you things would be fine. Now eat, class starts soon, and we have Potions. Rumor has it, the professor is almost as bad as Snape was." That thought made Al stop, his fork on his way to his mouth, eyes wide. Al had heard stories about Snape's bias from his uncles; he definitely didn't want a teacher like him!
"I'm crap at Potions." Al said nervously. "Well, I can get everything into the cauldron, but the finished product usually leaves something to be desired. Let's just hope we get paired up, and the professor doesn't mention anything about my 'utter lack of skill'. That was always my dad's downfall."
***
The first day had gone smoothly enough, but it was only due to Al's previous visits to the castle that he didn't get lost. Pity though, for he would have loved being late to McGonagall's class, just to see her change back into her human form. Potions hadn't been a terrible disaster, and he and Scorpius had been paired together, as he hoped.
He had been approached by Rose after class, and they talked, albeit a bit awkwardly, about how his brother was handling things. He was disappointed to hear that James refrained from saying his name, and that James would be sending their dad a letter at lunch. Rose, at least, didn't seem to mind what House he'd been placed in, as long as he was doing his homework. Al had grinned at that; of course Rose would say that. His Aunt Hermione had probably told her to remind him to do it. They had parted ways at the Great Hall, and Al had run into Scorpius and walked down with him to their house.
The only thing about today that truly sucked was the fact that they had already been given homework. Al just wanted to collapse in the Common Room, and get nice and cozy in front of the fire-, perhaps stay there until it was time to go to bed. But Scorpius had dragged him off to supper, before deciding to start on the homework, much to Al's dismay. However, they did manage to get a good chunk done, and he was confident that he would receive a passable mark.
It was after Al had packed up his school things that Eros flew through the window, a letter clutched tightly in his talons. He landed gently on the arm Al held out for him, and in return, Al fished a treat out of his bag for him to take up to the Owlery. His name was written on it in his father's messy scrawl, and he was suddenly nervous about what it would say.
Opening it, he quickly scanned it, teeth worrying his lip.
Al,
First off, congratulations on getting into Slytherin. I think the house suits you, and you'll do well. As for your Mum, she was a bit put out, I'll be honest, but she got over it. I also received a letter from James earlier today, and he seemed rather agitated. He says you've betrayed the family, and after that, well, I just stopped reading. Your mum sent a rather frightening letter back to him, I expect he'll be properly cowed. I hope you had a good first day. Try not to get into too much trouble. I gave you the Cloak for a reason.
Love, Dad
Al loosed a sigh he barely realized he had been holding, and smiled. He couldn't wait to see James properly punished. He grabbed up his bag and hurried up to his room, closing the door solidly behind him. He dropped his bag beside his trunk, and moved over to Scorpius' bed, where the heavy green curtains were already closed. He tugged them open, tossing the letter onto his friend's chest, ignoring the murmur of disagreement he emitted.
"See, I told you things would be fine," he said after a moment. "You'll enjoy seeing your brother now, I suppose? 'Properly cowed', ha! From what I know about your mum, that'll be true." Al returned the blonde's smile, then turned away to shuck off his uniform, pulling on the warm flannel pajama bottoms, before hopping onto his own bed, pulling the thick covers to his chin. He rolled onto his back, tucking his arms under his head, closing his eyes as the candles were extinguished by Scorpius' wand.